Unleashed from Norway in 2013, Christmas horror movies will
never be the same again. Christmas Cruelty (O'Hellige Jul!)is an indie
sleeper which evaded my radar, but luckily due to the generosity
of co-director Per Ingvar Tomeron, I was able to snag a
copy. This movieâs title spells it all out perfectly. In a
nutshell we get cruelty in all forms as one of the most casual
and equally demented serial killers on film dishes out his
cruelty upon his targeted victims.

Christmas Cruelty opens with a bang, and pulls out all
the stops on your senses. We get the killer (Tormod Lien)
carrying out a home invasion, as he wreaks havoc on a terrified
family with absolutely no mercy. This caught me off guard, and I
found it to be very disturbing as a mother is raped in front of
her family, and a baby is also killed in gruesome fashion with a
circular saw. After this kick in the nuts opening, we are then
introduced to the other characters, and actual makers of the
film, who use their real names in the movie to portray their
characters. The three friends are directors Per Ingvar Tomren,
Magne Steinsvoll and co-writer Eline Aasheim. Our misfit friends
are preparing some arts and crafts, like Krampus masks, to scare
the unsuspecting, and making toxic mulled wine and other
festivities for the holiday season. Little do they know that
their female friend, Eline (Aasheim), is in the deranged sights
of the serial killer we saw in the opening of the film.

Christmas Cruelty is an entertaining, but hard to watch film, due to its
disturbing content and how merciless, cold and methodical the
killer dispatches his victims make it tougher to withstand. The
middle section of the movie slows down when we get caught up in
the lives of the friends and this drags on. I figured they
wanted to introduce the audience to the characters to build up
some emotion for them before the shocking conclusion. We get
scenes of the killer in his everyday government job, where he
actually helps people, but also uses the company database to
track down new victims. We also get a look at him with his
family. The killer is portrayed as a typical overweight middle
aged slob, always someone who you would never expect to be a
monster. I love how they keep using these flashes and quick cuts
to show his real twisted interior, as he reads a dark bedtime
story to his daughter keeping his composure but laughing at the
violent content on the inside.

The friends are having a great time getting drunk and
partying. Co-director and star Per Ingvar Tomren is actually
wheelchair bound in real life -- a fact I didn't know until
after I finished watching the movie. Tomren's friend and
co-director Magnes Steinboll has no problem constantly insulting
and giving him "friendly" abuse. The three plan a party at
Tomren's apartment, but the killer has planned to strike on this
joyous occasion, and has even broken out a tattered and creepy
Santa Claus costume to carry out the deed.

The music for Christmas Cruelty is another definite hit.
We get some great rock tracks, including the band The Last
Rebels, who have a music video in the extras featured on the
DVD. My personal favorite songs that rang a bell which I haven't
heard in years come from Anneke Van Giersbergen who fronted the
great doom rock band The Gathering for a stint. The gore in this
is top-notch, and takes no fucking prisoners. Now mind you, the
majority of it takes place during the conclusion, so stick with
the friends in the film bickering and hanging out in the middle
portion of the movie, and you won't be disappointed. The payoff
is more than worth it. The slaughter scene in the apartment is
some of the most sadistic shit I've seen in a while, and Tormod
Lien absolutely owns this movie in all of his scenes. We get a
head literally turned into mush by a hammer, a head sawed off,
brutal stabbings and chainsaw dismemberment. The best scene has
Tormod Lien visiting the hardware store because he runs out of
tools to use in his killings in the apartment -- I shit you not
-- we even see this close up shot of a circular saw in the store
when he visits, as a reminder of what he used on that baby at
the beginning of the movie.

Yes,
Silent Night, Deadly Night is the epitome of Christmas
slasher films, but Christmas Cruelty is way more mean
spirited, tasteless and relentless in sheer unadulterated and
disturbing violence. This is the feel good Christmas movie
you've been waiting for this year, as Per Ingvar Tomren
inscribed on this DVD: "Enjoy this slice of Norwegian
Christmas!" It must be a hell of a time of the year
there! To pick up Christmas Cruelty, contact
Per Ingvar Tomren on Facebook and check out the
Christmas Cruelty Facebook Page as well. You won't be sorryâ¦
or maybe you will be! Deck the halls with blood this Christmas
and invite over your neighborhood serial killer to do in your
ungrateful, self-centered friends.